Louder Than Thunder
by HouseOfWolves12
Summary: Beorn has a daughter name Bryn, who is also a brooding skinchanger. When the Company is rushed into their home, Fili gets more than he reckoned for when he meets the feisty dark haired girl and all attempts at courtship are shot down from more people than Fili cares to hear. Fili/OC, rated M for language, gore, and possible smut.
1. Chapter 1

Skinchangers roamed the mountains before any others. They were free; they walked their realm with an air of belonging; as if they belonged to the mountains and the mountains belonged to them. They were peaceful, content in their ways, happy with their connections with the animals of the earth. In their homes their wild friends came to stay and grew large, much like the skinchangers did themselves. It was speculated that these men-turned-part-animal sprung forth from animals themselves, desperate for human bodies and minds. Other legends said that the men of the Misty Mountains grew so close to the animals that lived there they were able to share their forms.

There were many of them. So many, in fact, that every large enough animal supposedly had a skinchanger counterpart to take their form. Their age of death was unknown to all others, but it was guessed to be several hundred years. The skinchangers lived high in the Misty Mountains, their homeland.

But the orcs drove them out. They picked off their kind one by one; until there were only few left and driven down the mountains, away from everything they had known. Even then they would not be sated; they chained up the skinchangers and used them for sport. Within years after the orcs slaughtered their numbers, only two lived. Beorn and his daughter, Bryn. They had been locked up like the others, but Beorn was smart. He waited years until the perfect night came; a dark, dreary night, filled with rain and storm. He had rusted his and his daughters chains and mustered up enough strength to break them. They disappeared into the night.

For sixty years Beorn prospered between Mirkwood and his old home. He rebuilt his house with the help of his daughter, and together they invited the surrounding animals to take shelter with them. The honey bees grew a dozen times larger than average bees, and the Clydesdales feasted on the dark green grass. It was almost as if nothing had happened, but a dark hatred lingered in the heart of Beorn for the orcs, and he promised one day to slay them all.

As for Bryn; she was much too young to remember everything that had transpired. She hadn't come into adulthood before the orcs laid waste to her family and friends. Her mother had died giving birth to her. While Beorn easily reached taller than seven feet, Bryn stood at five feet and three inches, having inherited her height from her mother, who skinchanged into an owl. Beorn's skinchange was to a bear, while Bryn changed into a black wolf. One thing they had in common was their ferocity; Beorn could easily shake the surrounding forest with his mighty woofing (bears do not growl), and Bryn could easily send a group of orcs running with a single growl.

For sixty years the father and daughter lived in peace with their friends. Beorn taught her how to better control her changing, which she had trouble doing when experiencing strong emotions. Though Bryn was smaller than most skinchangers, her animal counterpart swelled in size. She was just larger than the average wolf. Skinchangers, before the orcs devastating hunt began, took pride in their animalistic forms. They groomed constantly, making sure their fur or feathers were as clean as possible. Beorn had dropped the tradition in part, taking up more patrols more often. Bryn stayed closer to home, having more time to do everything she had done as a child, such as the daily grooming. Together they protected their new home fiercely. So when thirteen dwarves, a wizard, and a hobbit showed up unannounced at their doorsteps, their usual life was interrupted greatly, and would inevitably change Bryn's life forever.

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"I haven't seen as many orcs as of late." Beorn commented to his daughter as they sat down for their breakfast, the sun just peeking over the horizon. He wore loose fitting pants, his chest and feet bare. Silently he thanked the animals that set out their food.

"That is a good thing, is it not?" Bryn questioned, starting to eat. She too wore loose fitting pants and nothing on her feet, but her chest was clad in a long sleeved black shirt. Her long raven hair had been tamed earlier, and now hung straight down her back, contrasting greatly against her fair skin. Her emerald eyes twinkled when the rising sun caught them just right.

"It could be, but I would bet that they're grouping their forces again." Beorn grunted lowly. "I do not plan to give them the chance."

"I would not expect you to." She smiled pleasantly. A cat jumped up onto the tall furniture and curled on Bryn's lap, purring. The rest of the breakfast was taken in silence. Bryn helped the animals clear the table before starting on her chores for the day. Today was the first day of the week, so she would have to clean the horse pastures and collect the eggs before starting on tidying the house.

The day passed slowly, much like any other. The honey bees buzzed happily to and from the flowers that grew near and around the large house, the horses galloped around the open fields, the cats chased the mice, and the dogs played. Bryn was close to all of the animals, but even closer to the dogs. She shared a special kinship with them. She toiled away tirelessly to clean the horses' home, making sure it was spotless, before moving on to collecting the chicken's eggs and then cleaning their coop.

After hours of work she was done, and when she did finish she smiled to herself, feeling the excitement bubble up in her. She loved letting her animal side out, it was the only time she truly felt free. So she stripped herself of her shirt and pants silently inside the barn, before squaring her shoulders and closing her eyes. She felt the air around her shift before her muscles and bones starting pulling, contracting, swelling, and moving. When she opened her eyes, she was on all fours and her senses were heightened. She could smell everything that had been in and out of the barn in the past week, and she could see things she couldn't see moments ago. She loved being in this form.

While Beorn lost himself almost completely when he was a bear, Bryn didn't have that problem. She retained most of her normal human sense, and gained primal instincts. The only time she had trouble controlling her urges was when she was under copious amounts of stress or had overwhelming emotions, or when she felt trapped. That was when the wolf side of her kicked in, and her need for relief or survival took over.

Sometimes she wished for a pack. She supposed she was a lone wolf, since she had no family of wolves with her. She liked to think she was an alpha alongside her father, since in every pack there was a male alpha and female alpha, though she knew she was probably a beta. Her mother would have been the alpha.

She shook away the harrowing thoughts and padded outside the barn. The dogs had stopped playing and now stood around staring at her, waiting to see what she was going to do. Today, she just wanted to be alone, so she got her point across with a low growl before tearing off towards the treeline. She loved to feel the wind in her fur and the feel of her new and larger muscles burn as she ran. Bryn knew her father wouldn't be satisfied until he regained his homeland, but here, she was happy.

She explored the woods for a few hours, without a goal in mind. When the sun was high in the sky she decided to return home. Her father still had not come back yet, which was normal. Sometimes he would be gone for days at a time while hunting the orcs. After having a small meal, she decided she would treat herself to a mid afternoon nap.

And was awakened just an hour later. Rather obnoxiously, she might add. She woke with a startled gasp, hearing the loud shouting and the sounds of her father in his bear form. Quickly she swallowed her bubbling fear, feeling the air start to tingle around her as she quietly made her way from her room and into the dining area. Before her were a vast amount of dwarves and a very tall, greying old man. A growl found its way from her throat as she felt the hair on her arms stand up as she stared at the intruders.

"Be calm, Bryn. We are friends." The old man spoke, holding a hand up in defense, the other one wrapped around his staff. An odd sense of calm washed over her, and she immediately knew the old man was an Istar.

"Then why is my father ready to kill you, wizard?" She narrowed her eyes, but her want to change was gone.

"That animal is your father?" The leader of the company asked, and though he was surprised (and albeit a little disgusted), he maintained his regal air.

"I would be more careful, dwarf, not even your Istar could save you from his anger." Bryn found herself hissing, eyes flashing dangerously.

"He does not mean any harm. We just need a place to stay for the night, somewhere to hide out from a pack of orcs." The wizard spoke once more, his voice calming and reasonable.

Bryn took a moment to survey the dwarves. They all carried weapons of some kind, mostly swords and battle axes. She looked at each member of the intruders, passing over the leader, one with a funny hat, the robust ginger one, the redhead, the one with a metal thing sticking out of his ear, the one with an axe sticking out of his forehead... until her eyes came to land on a blond one. His mustache was braided, along with a few other random braids about his long blond hair, with a bead hanging off each end of them. She was about three inches taller than him, and his nose was on the larger side, but his eyes were by far the most attractive aspect to him. They were light blue, and reminded her of the sky. And he was staring at her, like the others.

"Leave your weapons at the door." She found herself saying. "You may stay until my father sees fit for you all to leave."

"What is he?" One of the younger members of the company asked, still clearly in disbelief.

"That is our host." The wizard said, looking over to Bryn with a small smile. "His name is Beorn. He's a skinchanger… Sometimes he's a huge black bear, and sometimes he's a great strong man." Bryn stood silently as a sentry by the table, still distrustful of the uninvited visitors. While most of the attention had been diverted to the Istar in curiosity or turned to exploring her home, she noted the blond still stared. She felt herself heat up under his gaze, so she returned the stare coldly. "The bear is unpredictable. But the man can be reasoned with, however, he is not overly fond of dwarves."

"With good reason." Bryn found herself saying as she turned to start fishing out food for the travelers.

"And what reason would that be?" The blond one spoke up, his gaze still fixed on her. His voice was just the right balance of deepness and smoothness.

"You will find out soon enough, dwarf." And despite her cool words, she smiled, placing loaves of bread and cheese on the table tall table. "You lot should eat before sleeping, it may be the only opportunity to do so before the morning." She never had guests before, so she drew what to do in this situation from stories her father had told her and small books she had come across.

"He's leaving." The young one spoke, the relief clear in his voice but his eyes wide. One of the others, an older white and gray haired dwarf, pulled him away from the door.

"Come away from there, it's not natural, none of it. It's obvious, he's under some dark spell." The older man turned to glare at Gandalf, and before he could respond, Bryn whipped around to glare at him.

"Your ignorance is giving me a headache, old one. I would suggest holding your tongue lest you want to lose it." She snapped, her temper already getting the better of her and they had hardly been inside for five minutes.

"Gandalf said your name is Bryn." The leader spoke, his voice slightly gruff but looking at her with something akin to cool indifference. She did her best to match it.

"So if the Istar's name is Gandalf, what would your name be? You have me at a bit of a disadvantage."

"Thorin Oakenshield." He gave a majestic nod, and for a moment she was sated with his manners. "That's Ori, Nori, and Dori,"-Ori was the young, scared one and the Dori was the enormously judgemental one, and Nori was the one with the starfish hairstyle, though it was still nice-they each mumbled niceties- "Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur,"-Bofur was the one with the funny hat, Bombur was the largest one out of them with stark ginger hair, while Bifur was the one with the axe sticking out of his head.

"At your service." Bofur said, sweeping into a deep bow and taking his hat off, revealing a messy hairstyle which she smiled at. Bombur uttered the same greeting, while Bifur placed an arm at his chest and uttered something in a different language.

"Balin, at your service." A white haired, balding dwarf stepped up, smiling kindly at her. She returned it, starting to think that maybe not all the dwarves were bad.

"Dwalin." A brown haired, balding dwarf spoke next. His armor was impressive, even complete with knuckle spikes. Balin nudged him, and he rolled his eyes. "At your service."

"Oin, at your service." He spoke, a metal-like square thing was perched in his ear, presumably to be able to hear.

"Gloin, at your service." The redhead spoke. She smiled slightly at all of them, beginning to feel her apprehension wane away just by knowing their names.

But there were two who had yet to go. The blond, blue eyed dwarf and the brown haired brown eyed dwarf. The brown haired one went first. "Kili, at your service." He gave a small bow, before the blond one stepped forward.

"Fili, at your service, my lady." He bowed like Kili did, but took her hand and kissed it. She laughed out loud. though a blush took her cheeks.

"I do not answer to such titles. My name is Bryn, so you all may call me it." She spoke. Fili smiled up at her, not being able to help himself. "Eat, I will fetch extra blankets for the night."

"Would you like any help, Bryn?" Fili asked, staring almost hopefully. She liked the way he said her name.

"No thank you." She responded, not sparing him a second glance as she tried to scrounge up some old blankets her and her father hadn't been using.

"Would you like any help?" Kili mocked in a not-so-close version of Fili's voice. Fili rolled his eyes and elbowed his brother before climbing onto the bench and digging into a loaf of bread.

"Shut up." He mumbled through a mouthful, and Kili bent his back and laughed at him. Faintly he was aware of his uncle, Balin, and Gandalf talking in quiet tones while the rest of the company was getting used to the new accommodations. When he made eye contact with the woman, something immediately changed within him. He couldn't look away, and he was breathless.

"You'll all have to sleep in there, she nodded to a large open part of the home, which had hay laid down and a few goats munching on it happily. She dropped the blankets on top of a hay stack, turning back to face the company. "It's the only place that's got enough room for you all."

"Lass," Bofur called, smearing a bit of cheese onto his bread. "If your father is a… skinchanger, does that make you one?"

The attention of the room shifted to her once more, and Fili found himself holding his breath for an answer as he tried to catch her eye. "Aye, it does."

"Do you change into a bear as well then?" Fili found the words spilling out of his mouth before he could help it. He felt like he was a a little dwarf again, asking his mother for a story.

"No, I do not. I'm a wolf skinchanger." She admonished, smiling at their surprise.

"Will you show us?" Kili asked excitedly, his food having been long forgotten as they stared at her for an answer.

"Perhaps tomorrow." She murmured, and after a moment of hesitation, turned away, but not before she saw Thorin's distrustful stare.

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Alright guys, here's the first chapter! Please please please review to let me know if anyone has interest in this story, because if not I won't bother posting the next chapters. If you're looking for a story that starts at the very beginning, check out _At Your Service, _which is my romance between Kili and an OFC. Check it out ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Once all of the dwarves had their fill, Bryn silently set about cleaning up after them. She fed the leftovers to the animals, though there wasn't much left thanks to Bombur, and cleaned the dishes. Ori and Fili offered to help, but she waved them off with a polite smile. All the while Thorin watched her with a careful eye, and she tried not to let it bother her. They were the intruders; not her. She should be the distrustful one.

"What are a pack of dwarves doing so far away from their homes?" She asked casually, walking over to where they were readying for bed. Suddenly she noticed a little man with curly hair and large, hairy feet. "And who are you?"

"Oh, well, I'm Bilbo Baggins, miss." He managed a smile, giving a nod as a hello. He hadn't been seen the entire time he was there! Bryn thought it was impressive that he had gone unseen to her trained eye.

"Bilbo is our burglar." Kili said without thinking. Immediately Dwalin hit him upside the head, to which he only scowled at and clamped his mouth shut.

"A burglar? Why would you need a burglar?" Her eyes narrowed, not at Bilbo, but at Thorin. He was the one orchestrating the entire ordeal, she knew it. Him or that damn Istar.

"No need to be alarmed, Bryn." The greying wizard smiled. "He will not be burglarizing any time soon."

"I gave you all the benefit of the doubt thought you might be traveling to Laketown to do trading, but now it's become clear. To have a wizard in your company, a thief, and without any goods without a doubt rules that out." She fixed her gaze on the wizard. "So what is it? Why are you here?"

The wizard only looked down at Thorin, who refused to answer. She set her gaze on the white haired one, Balin, before moving to Dwalin, and coming to rest on Kili, who surprisingly kept his mouth shut. Finally she narrowed her eyes at Fili, hoping that this one would let her know what she wanted.

"Uncle," He finally cracked, "why don't we just tell her? She and her father might be able to help, or at least aid us across the lands."

Thorin appraised his nephew a moment, before speaking. "We seek to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. It is our time to take back what is ours."

She was silent for a long minute, mulling it over. She thought Thorin sounded familiar; he was Thror's grandson, the last King Under the Mountain. He had gone mad with his love of gold, and it brought the dragon Smaug from the north to lay waste to the great city of Dale before bullying its way into the mountain. She not many got out in time, and that their people wandered Middle Earth for work, never really belonging.

Despite Thorin's cold demeanour, her heart went out to them. She knew what it was like to lose her family and home, and though she wasn't as attached to it as her father, she knew what those mountains meant to her people like the Lonely Mountain meant to them. So she did the only thing she could think of; she resolved to help them.

"I can help give you safe passage to Mirkwood and through it." She found herself commenting. Of course she would have to gain permission from her father, but thought it would be easy enough for what she had in mind.

"We're not interested." Thorin spoke gruffly, his arms crossed. Bryn rolled her eyes.

"I'm not interested in your useless gold and treasure, dwarf." She scoffed. It was true; skinchangers had no need for such things. Before their fall they relied on no one but their families, the land, and their animals. "Though I would ask something of you."

Thorin wasn't dim, he knew orcs roamed these lands. Just the night before they were being hunted by a pack. Turning down the help of a wolf would be stupid, so he pretended to be indifferent. "And that would be what?"

"After your quest you help us get back our home in the Misty Mountains." She squared her shoulders and drew herself to her full height to try to impose herself upon him. She wasn't sure it worked, because he remained silent. The rest of the company watched their leader, one blond haired dwarf was listening more carefully than the rest. Gandalf held his tongue.

"If you're going to request that, I want you to help give us safe passage all the way until we reach the Lonely Mountain." The king-to-be decided. "Once we reach the mountain you may leave, and within the time it takes us to get back… on our feet, we will send troops."

Bryn nodded. She hoped Beorn would be happy with her decision. If he wasn't, one of them was going to be extremely unhappy, and she was determined for it not to be her. "Allow me to talk to my father before I finalize our deal."

Thorin nodded, sated with the information. The company climbed under their blankets and found something to rest their heads on. Bryn murmured a quiet sleep well to which she received a few responses. She went back to her small room and layed down on the bed, her hands behind her head as she stared up at the wooden ceiling. After tracing patterns the wood created for what felt like the hundredth time, she sighed. She couldn't fall asleep. She felt the itch to shift, the need to let loose the steam she had been bottling up since she got off on the wrong foot with the dwarves. Finally she got up and stripped her clothes, and took a deep breath.

She was now on four paws, and took a moment to stretch. The first few times she changed it was weird; she was awkward in her body and often would trip over thin air. Don't even get started on how strange it was to have a tail.

She padded outside her room quietly, her nails making soft tapping sounds on the wooden flooring as she walked. She saw all of the dwarves, Bilbo (she wasn't sure exactly what he was), and the Istar were asleep; except for one dwarf. Fili was awake, his blanket draped over his brother, his hands behind his head as she stared upwards, much like she had earlier. He looked deep in thought, his bright blue eyes fixed on a spot on the ceiling.

After an internal battle she gave a huff, threading her way between the snoring dwarves to him. He looked over surprised, moving to sit up but she gave a small whimper, dropping down next to him and resting her head on his chest. He relaxed back, looking her over in wonder. He tentatively moved a hand to pet her head, and chuckled when her tail started to wag slightly. He wondered if he knew what she was doing, if she had control over her actions. At least he hoped this was Bryn, she did say she changed into a wolf. They had the same emerald eyes, so he thought it was safe to assume it was her.

"So this is what you look like, huh?" He murmured, feeling her soft fur. She had a thick pelt that was well taken care of. She turned her head to stare up at him and blinked. He smiled, continuing his ministrations for a few minutes before she stood up and walked away, jumping out of an open window. Fili stared, surprised. She didn't want to talk to him while she was a human but once she was a wolf she got cuddly?

A few hours later she found herself in the barn after a long run and a bath. She shifted back and dressed in an outfit she had stashed some time ago, before walking back to her home. The sun was already up, and she sighed to herself. She didn't know why she cuddled up the dwarf, she just knew that he was unreasonably attractive for one. And that he liked staring at her.

When she got inside, her father was pouring Fili a mug of what looked like milk. The dwarves were sitting at the table like they had been last night, but Thorin was leaning up against a wooden column with his arms crossed. He wasn't going earn any points.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield." Her father said in his deep voice. Beorn was… hairy, to say the least, but it never bothered Bryn. She accepted him one hundred percent. He was the only reason she was still alive. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Bryn froze. Azog the Defiler was the one who-

"You know of Azog. How?" Thorin questioned, turning to face her dad. His face was a mixture of inquisitive and demanding.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains." Beorn began, and Bryn went to stand by his side silently. She hated hearing this story; she hated hearing the malice in his voice, the complete loathing that her father harbored inside of himself. "Before the orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved."

She saw Bilbo's eyes go to the cuff still around her father's wrist. To this day Bryn didn't know if he couldn't get it off or if he didn't want to take it off.

"Not for work you understand," He went on, slowly circling his way around the table, "but for sport. Caging skinchangers, torturing them seemed to amuse him." He poured milk into Ori's mub.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Once there were many." Beorn's voice dropped.

"And now?"

"Now there are only two." Beorn turned to face his daughter, and she looked down. She hated the Defiler.

The guests spared glances at one another, and when Kili turned to his brother he was staring at Bryn.

"You need to reach the mountains before the last days of autumn." Beorn stated, sitting down in his great wood carved chair.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." Gandalf responded.

"You are running out of time." To Beorn's credit, he looked concerned.

"Which is why must go through Mirkwood." Gandalf tilted his head down and looked at her father.

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees." He looked over the company, his eyes slightly larger than usual. Thorin turned his back and began pacing silently.

"Giant spiders," Bryn cut in solemnly, "and air that will make you question your closest allies."

"There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

"We will take the Elven road." Gandaf nodded, almost as if he was trying to convince everyone. "Their path is still safe."

"The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise, and more dangerous." Beorn continued his warnings, staring at Thorin. "But it matters not."

Thorin turned around, his mouth parted and his eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." Beorn stood, walking the length of the table and bending over to miss the low hanging beam. "I don't like Dwarves, they're greedy, and blind-" he saw Dwalin shoo a white mouse from his arm, and Beorn picked it up. "Blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own."

The company watched the absurdly tall man gaze down at the mouse in his grip. the time ticking by slowly as he came to stand in front of Thorin, who was still staring up at him. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

After Gandalf informed him they would need ponies and food, the dwarves set about packing their things from the night before. Bryn pulled her dad to the side.

"I offered to escort them through Mirkwood and to the mountain." She informed him, having to tilt her head backwards to meet his eyes. Immediately he shook his head.

"I cannot let you go. You know what is in those woods and what lies in the mountain. It would be a death sentence." His tone was reprimanding.

"I will not be going into the mountain with them, father. Once they reach Erebor I will leave. I will even go around Mirkwood if you wish it." Bryn explained, and before he could respond, she quickly added, "Thorin promised to help us return to the Misty Mountains once his people return. He will have the full might of the seven dwarven kingdoms behind him."

"I'm still not agreeing, Bryn." He took a deep breath. He didn't want to think about losing his daughter, but at the same time he knew he had to stop babying her. He had taught her everything he possibly could, and it was time to let her make her own decisions. "But if you truly think you should go, I will not stop you."

Bryn smiled brightly, jumping up to wrap her arms around her father's neck. She couldn't believe he actually agreed. Beorn caught her easily and cracked the smallest smile. "Remember what I taught you, now go pack your things."

Bryn kissed his cheek before running inside to throw a few spare outfits into a bag. They consisted of dark pants and simple shirts. Next she packed wood and stone throwing knives. Her father had taught her offensive and defensive attacks to use when not using your animal counterpart. She was more comfortable as a wolf, but when she focused enough she could hit any target within a hundred yards. After a moment of hesitation she slipped on her simple shoes made of deer hide before shrugging on her fur coat. She hadn't had much use for either of them, so they were in good shape.

When she ventured outside shouldering her small pack, the dwarves were already on ponies her dad provided. She said goodbye to her father, before walking over and kissing the muzzle of the pony she would be riding. She didn't have much experience riding ponies or horses, but she knew the basics. She hoisted herself up with a small smile.

"You won't be in your animal form?" Thorin questioned gruffly. He thought the whole point of bringing her would be to scare off potential enemies, not give them the image of a harmless girl.

"No." She answered simply, rubbing the neck of her pony. "We will be safe until we reach Mirkwood." She looked to her father, and he gave a single nod. The company began to move.

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:o thank you to **Megan the Legit, Satsuriku-Sama, Marina Oakenshield, Lucy Greenhill, Mjean, **and **Dhalmi93 **for the reviews! I'm glad everyone is clicking with the skinchanger backgrounds; JRR Tolkien left like three sentences on them so I had to come up with a lot of it on my own.

R&R guys!


	3. Chapter 3

"You don't like ponies much, do you Mr. Baggins?" Bryn was trying to hold back a laugh as she watched Bilbo hold the reins gingerly and away from his body, jumping slightly at every sound his pony made.

"No, I do not." He answered firmly, letting out a soft sneeze. "But you may call me Bilbo." He sniffled. She grinned at him, letting out a chuckle.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you, Bilbo?" She had been itching to ask him since she had realized he wasn't a dwarf. She hadn't had any dealings, or reading she should say, with his people, and she regretted not asking her dad if he knew.

"He's a halfling." Kili butted in. The brothers had been riding near her since they left an hour and a half ago. They chatted amongst each other quietly, but after a few minutes of trying to understand them she realized they were talking in another language. So she huffed and gave up.

"I'm a Hobbit." Bilbo clarified. "A Baggins, from Bag-End. Little-folk."

"I've never heard of a Hobbit before!" Bryn exclaimed. "Where do you hail from?"

"The Shire, miss Bryn." Bilbo smiled proudly. "A very respectable place, very quiet. There are no dwarves running around, mucking everything up."

"Hobbiton is dreary place," Fili cut in, his eyes gleaming playfully, "filled with people unable to do anything but sit around and eat."

"And not to mention the fact that they call themselves sociable," Kili continued, "but won't entertain anyone outside their race! I felt as if we were being discriminated against, he wouldn't let a few dwarves inside his home."

"A few?" Bilbo questioned as if he didn't believe him. "There are over a dozen of you, plus a wizard who scratched my door! You lot pillaged my pantry and-"

"We didn't break a thing." Fili scoffed. "That's what counts. We cleaned up after ourselves, didn't we?"

"That's not the point." Bilbo snapped, bringing a hand up to rub his temple. Bryn slapped a hand over her mouth to try and contain her laughter. Poor Bilbo, she understood him all too well, though it was very amusing.

Fili caught her expression and smiled warmly. She flushed under his gaze when she caught him looking, and turned her attention back to the front and shifting in her saddle. "Do you need something?" She inquired dryly. For some reason, this dwarf got under her skin. He made her feel like she couldn't do anything without being watched by him, and it irked her. His odd charm also annoyed her. Dwarves weren't supposed to be charming.

"More like some_one._" The darker haired brother muttered quietly before snickering. Kili was no doubt attractive with his stubble and chocolate eyes, but he acted much too young for her liking. She huffed quietly to herself.

Fili flailed his leg in an attempt to kick him, which only spurred Kili's laughter even more. "No, I do not need something, miss."

"That's what I thought." She huffed silently to herself, irritation pricking at her skin. _The best way to remain focused is to not get attached, _she reminded herself silently. _To do your job you must be alert._

Silence fell between the three of them, four if one included Bilbo, but he had engaged in a chat with Bofur. Well, Bofur was chatting, Bilbo was growing frustrated, something Bryn came to find out happened quite often. After hours Bryn spent scanning the open fields,Thorin finally called a halt to the company at a cluster of trees. She figured it was the best cover they could get in this field, if you didn't count the patches of high grass.

"No fire tonight." Thorin snapped at a group of dwarves who were beginning to pull wood for a fire. They grumbled to themselves but understood; they were not to draw unnecessary attention to the company. A fire and its smoke would definitely draw a pack of wargs and their riders, and that would not end well for anyone, though Bryn was confident she could do her part to hold them off.

"I'll take first watch." Bryn offered, seeing everyone else setting up their sleeping areas under the cover of the trees. Thorin nodded.

"Kili and Fili will take the second." He responded, and the two brothers gave sounds of agreement as they laid down to rest.

Bryn paced the close to the tree line as she waited for them to fall asleep, and once she was certain they all were, she began stripping. But there was still a dwarf awake, his eyes parted slightly as he tried to will tiredness onto himself, and instead was rewarded with a vague view of Bryn stripping her shirt. His eyes popped open completely, all pretenses of trying to sleep gone, his eyes raking the pale white skin of her back. Before he could think to give her privacy, she turned, and he saw she was gifted with generous mounds for breasts, and his cheeks flushed. He had never seen a woman without a shirt on before, not even at the dirty pubs he and his brother sometimes frequented. Quickly he clenched his eyes shut, but the image of her was imprinted in his brain, and he groaned softly as he felt his trousers become tighter. He wouldn't be able to sleep now.

Once Bryn had stripped she skinchanged, and thanked whoever was above watching her for her heightened eyesight. She scoured the open field for any enemies, or anyone at all really, and saw nothing. She continued her prowl for another two hours, before she decided that her shift was over and needed to wake up Thorin's nephews. She had listened to the company talk for the entire day of riding, and ended up feeling like she made the right decision in accompanying them. As she listened to them she realized they were much more deserving of reclaiming their lost home that she had originally thought, and ended up believing that Thorin would make a great king.

She quickly pulled on her clothing after she shifted back to her more natural form, and as quietly as possible made it over to the two young dwarves. She kneeled beside Fili, who had actually dozed off. She shook him quietly, and he blinked awake tiredly. Bryn held her breath as the moonlight filtered down from between the trees and caught his blue eyes, making them seem even more vibrant than they already were.

"Time for your shift." She mumbled, and Fili nodded, turning to wake up his brother. She settled down near their bags and curled up, watching the two as she tried to fall asleep. They chatted softly, both of them slumped against a tree, watching their surroundings. They seemed completely at ease, but she knew they were alert. Fili suddenly smiled at something Kili said, and Bryn clenched her jaw. Her stomach felt weird, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick, before she realized the feeling was… good?

Bryn sighed to herself, not knowing how to deal with these feelings she's never had before. She's actually never met anyone besides skinchangers, and had only interacted with her father after the orcs came. They never had any visitors, mainly because they didn't know anyone, and they lived in a place where no others would come to live. Because of this, she didn't have the luxury of making friends or expanding her social skills beyond her dad and the animals they lived with. She was awkward and hostile around the dwarves, not because she didn't like them, but because she didn't know how to act. She wasn't the alpha here, or even the beta. She was more like the omega, the lowest of the wolves who were often outcasts.

Fili heard her sigh, and turned to look at her. They met each other's gazes, and Fili smiled, whispering a 'good night, sleep well'. Bryn managed a small smile back but didn't say anything, and ended up turning the other way in frustration. Her stomach wouldn't let her go to sleep.

Bryn woke the next morning wide awake, before half of the company. Thorin stood off to the side, surveying the path they would take to Mirkwood. A few other were milling around, either packing up the ponies or snacking on their breakfast. Bryn grabbed a slab of bread and munched on it as she rolled up her blanket. As a skinchanger, her skin was naturally more warm than regular human's, so generally she just used a light one. If she did ever get warm, she would just shift and her thick fur would give her the warmth she needed.

By the time she was done eating, the rest were up and in no time they were on their ponies again, moving towards the treeline that was still so far away. Bryn was already uncomfortable on her pony, the day before had been enough for her for a lifetime. She kept her mouth shut, however, because her only other alternatives was keeping up on foot as a girl (which wasn't ideal) or keeping up on foot as a wolf, in which she would have to take their word that they weren't watching her undress.

She let out a particularly loud sigh, shifting across the saddle, which caused her companions to look back at her. She smiled sheepishly and tried to sit still.

"So, um, Bryn." Bilbo called her attention. He was riding to the right of her, and in front of them was most of the company, while the two night and day princes were behind them. Keeping watch, no doubt from an order Thorin gave.

"Yes, Bilbo?" Bryn answered with a slight smile. She liked Bilbo, the hobbit was polite and had manners not many of the dwarves had. Not that it mattered to her, really, it was just refreshing.

"Beorn mentioned that… well, your kind had been enslaved." She could tell his words were cautious. Bryn stiffened in her seat, but when she didn't show any outright anger Bilbo continued. "I suppose I'm just curious as to what it was like before that, and what exactly happened."

She was silent as she contemplated his words, trying not to grow upset. She hadn't even discussed it with her father thoroughly. He would tell her stories of times before the massacre, but only when prompted, so her knowledge was limited. Not to mention the fact she was a representation of her entire race, and sharing it would be extremely personal. She shifted in her seat again, but this time not because she was sore.

"Before the orcs came, we lived in the Misty Mountains." She started, and had to stop to gather her words. "I was so young when it all happened, you have to understand. I don't remember much."

"Can you tell us what you do remember? Fili spoke up from the back. She looked back at him to see him and his brother staring at them. She sighed, facing forward again before seeing other eyes on her, namely Bofur, Gloin, Dori, and Ori. She felt heat rush to her face, but licked her lips and prepared herself to talk.

"Right… so, we lived in the mountains. It wasn't uncommon for tempers to clash, since not everyone had control over their emotions and therefore their counterpart. Other than that, we lived in peace. We lived without contact with any other race, so I'm not surprised you all didn't know what we were. I don't remember who our leader was, but he was a great man who's change was a lion, which I saw as fitting. I don't think my father liked him much, but I did. My mother's skinchange was a very large snowy owl. We could communicate between each other in any form." As she went, it slowly became easier for her to talk about it. When she realized this, she also realized this was all she could honestly remember. All that was important, at least.

"What happened to your mother?" Ori questioned, and Dori elbowed him with a glare. Ori had enough tact to look down, and mumble an apology.

"No, it's fine." Bryn murmured. "She was murdered when we were raided by orcs. It was a long time ago."

"Our father died in battle." Fili offered quietly after a moment. "We grew up without a father, but we were lucky to have Thorin. I can't imagine what it would be like with only one parent figure."

"I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have my father." Bryn whispered, and the conversation died, leaving everyone to their own thoughts.

Though Bryn wished to know more about her heritage herself, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Just talking about it instead of thinking about it constantly made her feel that much better. She felt her body relax, and forgot about the hard saddle.

Fili, on the other hand, contemplated everything she said. Her world had been ripped out from her when she was such a little girl. He had lost his father when he was younger, and Kili even younger than him, but he had meant it when he said he was thankful for Thorin. Bryn could only say she was thankful for her father surviving with her. He grew angry at the thought of another race being murdered-almost exterminated-and chased from their home, and at once resolved to make sure Thorin would help them as soon as it was possible. If he survived, that is.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has hit the favorite and/or follow button, but a special thank you to everyone who reviewed! That special thank you goes out to:**  
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**Rookie Cookie Baked Crispy**

**Dhalmi93**

**Nicci1234**

**Lucy Greenhill**

**Megan The Legit**

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**Satsuriku-Sama**

The warm words you've all given me has helped a lot with trying to shape this story. I hope this doesn't seem like a filler of sorts; I tried to add as much Kili/Bryn interaction as possible. If you like this, I urge you to read _At Your Service, _my Kili/OFC fanfic. I know a lot of you already do, so thank you again c:

If you're into _Thor, _try out _Until The End of Me, _a Loki/OFC fanfiction I just updated a couple days ago. I'm mostly excited for _Louder Than Thunder _and _Until The End of Me, _so updates on _At Your Service _will become really slow again. Okay, rambling over.


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